University Mall

What University Mall does

University Mall is a single-asset enclosed regional shopping center located at 1237 East Main in Carbondale, Illinois, serving local residents and the Southern Illinois University Carbondale community. The property is owned by Namdar Realty Group, a commercial real estate investment firm, with digital operations managed through Placewise LLC's shopping center network platform. The mall houses approximately 13 retail, dining, entertainment, healthcare, and cultural tenants, including Finish Line, Hot Topic, Ross Dress for Less, Claire's, Panera Bread, VIP Cinemas, Southern Illinois Healthcare, and the African American Museum.

The mall's core offering is its physical retail footprint combined with a Placewise-powered website (shopatuniversitymall.com) that provides a store directory, deals and sales platform, events calendar, guest services, retail leasing information, and a VIP Club loyalty program allowing shoppers to follow specific tenants for personalized offers. The technology stack is conventional: WCAG 2.0/2.1 AA compliant HTML/CSS/JavaScript with Google Analytics instrumentation, with no proprietary AI, data, or integration layer. Marketing is multi-channel, spanning the website, VIP Club email newsletter, organic social, and a content marketing engine publishing seasonal trends articles through 2024-2025.

The business model is conventional enclosed-mall real estate: revenue derives primarily from leasing retail, dining, and service space to tenants on recurring rental agreements, supplemented by promotional and advertising arrangements. Public pricing is limited to mall operating hours (Mon-Sat 11am-7pm, Sun 11am-5pm); individual tenant lease economics and CAM structures are not disclosed. The GTM motion is event-driven and community-engagement-led, leveraging seasonal events, promotions, and the VIP Club to drive foot traffic in a single regional market.

Name

University Mall

Legal name

University Mall

Website

https://shopatuniversitymall.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

University Mall is a single-asset enclosed regional shopping center in Carbondale, Illinois, owned by Namdar Realty Group and digitally operated through Placewise LLC. It serves local residents and the Southern Illinois University community with approximately 13 retail, dining, entertainment, and healthcare tenants, plus a VIP loyalty program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Shopping Mall / Retail Real Estate

NAICS

Warehouse Clubs, Supercenters, and Other General Merchandise Retailers (4552)

SIC

Retail-Department Stores (5311)

akta.pro primary industry

Campus Convenience Stores & Markets (C-Store) (EDALADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Campus Bookstore-Adjacent Retail (Snacks, Beverages, Essentials) (EDALADAE)

Keywords

• Regional shopping center
• Retail mall leasing
• Shopping mall management
• Mall tenant services
• Shopping center marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Carbondale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Tenant Rentals: University Mall generates revenue by leasing retail space to various tenants including clothing stores, restaurants, healthcare services, and entertainment venues. This is the primary revenue stream for the shopping center.
2. Advertising and Promotions: The mall promotes deals and sales from tenants through its website and marketing channels, creating opportunities for promotional partnerships and featured placement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

University Mall is a regional enclosed shopping mall in Carbondale, Illinois that leases physical space to a roster of retail, dining, entertainment, and healthcare tenants (including national chain retailers, a movie theater, restaurants, healthcare providers, and a credit union) and provides shoppers with a centralized destination for shopping, dining, entertainment, and guest services. The mall's complementary digital offering — operated via Placewise LLC — provides an online store directory, deals and sales listings, an events calendar, a property map, and a VIP Club / E-Club loyalty program.

Product overview

University Mall operates as a shopping center platform offering a unified digital presence for the retail property in Carbondale, IL. The core offering consists of the mall website (shopatuniversitymall.com) which integrates store directory, VIP loyalty program, E-Club email newsletter, deals/sales platform, events calendar, guest services, and retail leasing services. The mall is owned by Namdar Realty Group and operated by Placewise LLC. The platform primarily serves to connect shoppers with tenant stores and provide information about mall operations, rather than being a technology product in the traditional sense.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VIP Club / E-Club Loyalty Program
• Retail Leasing at University Mall
• Online Store Directory & Property Map
• Events Calendar
• Deals & Sales Platform
• On-site Guest Services
• Dining Options at University Mall
• Entertainment at University Mall

Quantifiable outcome

• Mall operates with 13+ retail and service tenants

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Namdar Realty GroupcoreOthersNamdar Realty Group is the owner of University Mall. The site terms of use state that the website shopatuniversitymall.com is owned by Namdar Realty Group. Namdar provides real estate ownership and management oversight for the shopping center.
• Placewise LLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationPlacewise LLC operates and powers the University Mall website. The privacy policy states the site is operated by Placewise LLC, which manages the personal information collected through the site and helps with promotional efforts. Placewise operates the Placewise Network of shopping center websites.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Placewise LLC: Digital platform provider powering the University Mall website, loyalty program, and shopper engagement tooling across a network of shopping center sites. Comparable as the technology backbone enabling the mall's customer-facing digital experience.
• Namdar Realty Group: Owner of University Mall and a national acquirer and operator of retail shopping centers. Directly relevant as the controlling owner of the subject asset and as the party making capital and operational decisions on the property.

Broad incumbents

• Brookfield Property Partners: Owns and operates a sizable U.S. mall portfolio including class A and B assets. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating in the same enclosed-mall real estate category.
• Simon Property Group: Largest U.S. mall REIT operating a national portfolio of enclosed malls and premium outlets. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same enclosed-mall asset class, though at vastly larger scale and in major markets.
• RPT Realty: Shopping center REIT focused on open-air and grocery-anchored centers. Comparable as a peer in the broader retail real estate category serving similar consumer demographics.
• Macerich: Mall REIT focused on regional and community shopping centers across the U.S. Comparable asset class (regional/enclosed malls) and similar leasing and tenant-mix dynamics, though at larger scale and in larger markets.
• CBL & Associates Properties: Mall REIT with a portfolio tilted to enclosed regional malls in mid-sized and secondary markets — closer in market profile to University Mall's catchment than the larger REITs.
• Kite Realty Group: Retail REIT operating a portfolio of community and lifestyle shopping centers. Comparable as a peer operating multi-tenant retail properties with similar leasing economics and tenant mix considerations.
• Brixmor Property Group: Owns and operates an open-air and community shopping center portfolio across the U.S. Comparable as a shopping center owner/operator in similar secondary-market trade areas, even if the format skews more open-air.
• Washington Prime Group: Mall REIT focused on smaller-format enclosed malls in secondary and tertiary markets. Closest analog to University Mall in market tier and asset profile, though operates a broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UMallCarbondale
• Facebookfacebook.com/universitymallcarbondale18

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about University Mall